January 6, 2015

48/52

(a portrait of my daughter, once a week, every week in 2014. and 2015)

Julia: looking like a little hollyberry. A pic from last fall, which is fitting, because this photo number should have been done last fall!

GAH. This is so embarrassing! I keep seeing other Project 52'ers or Project 365'ers starting fresh with their nice new numbers like 1/52 or 1/365 and I'm still struggling to finish last year's project! But.....I'm getting there. 4 more photos after this one, and I think I'll string the last four together as pairs, 2 and 2. To just get the thing DONE.

Come back tomorrow and visit me for sure, because I have a super fun book to share that I JUST GOT from my mom, as an early birthday present or a late Christmas present, and I'm so so excited about it! I'm also super excited because every year my mom-in-law gives me an Amazon gift card and I went to town on that thing immediately, and now I have a whole STACK of new books to read ~ it's seriously my favorite present of the holidays.

In other news, our tree was packed up and put away yesterday, I set a new record for take-down and removal - 52 minutes. I was really really sad to see the tree go this year, more so than usual, it was really one of the most delightful trees that we've ever had, and it just was a dagger in the heart to see it go. But despite that, it is somewhat nice to see our living room and plants and lamps go back to their usual cozy spots.

I signed up to do this online winter retreat workshop - I've never done anything remotely like it before, but I needed something uplifting to get me through the darkest days of winter. Folks, if you haven't experienced the grey grey pit of GREY doom that is a Seattle winter, well.....it's DARK. And GREY. Sunny winters are not a thing here. Like, ever. So I'm hoping this workshop will be a lovely diversion from the darkness that's been all around, in the sky and in people's lives.

Well pickle, that got kind of downer-ish. I know....PUPPY! It's just a few more days until PUPPY!

Ok now were you the one who was maybe moving here? Be sure and shoot me an email if you do!! So.....yes. It is THAT grey in the winter here. You might find it charming! Many people do! It's actually pretty, it's just that.....the lack of light messes with me, I think more so than others b/c I was raised in the light flood that is Hawaii.

Now, the SUMMER. Is usually glorious and so is the fall! And many times spring is nice! Summer here more than makes up for the grey awful pit of doom, or at least it balances the scales quite a bit! A Seattle summer is pretty much perfect. :)

Not moving there yet - maybe someday! I think I could live there if I can convince my husband! I live on the east coast, and I am so not a fan of our weather. We have rain off and on year round, and summer is horribly miserable with the heat and high humidity. My allergies are also really horrible here in the southeast. I hope to visit Portland and Seattle this spring, possibly the beginning of May for my 40thhhhhh birthday!!

The retreat looks interesting. You'll have to tell me how it goes. Love J's hat! Our Christmas is still up. If Mr. B gets home before dark, we'l start on taking down the playroom trees and a few other things. It's going to have to happen in stages. Now I'm going to try and get some more sleep. Night air makes my cough worse, so I'm not sleeping when I'm supposed to sleep. Lack of sleep means I'm getting nothing done. Ugh!

one day a week is a knitting, light sewing acitivity, so that's basically a waste of money for me, but everything else sounded so nice. I was trying to be preemptive in warding off seasonal affective disorder!

So sorry about the cough. Was it the flu, do you think? I think the weird cold/cough/mild fevery thing the 3 of us had in December was some kind of flu variant, even though we had flu vaccines. Someone told me that the flu shot wasn't working as well as hoped this year.

I know it's grey, but I still love envisioning winter in Seattle. Makes me feel a little wistful still. But what, no talk of DOWNTON??? I've had a consistent group text going with my dad and stepmom since the first episode ended. Major, major stuff. GAH!!!

Have fun with your winter retreat workshop! I hope it can shake the winter blues away! It's cold here but we do have sunny skies so I can't complain too much. I can't wait to see the puppy you will be getting for Julia!

ooooooh it is SO foggy today! i thought ti would have cleared up by now, but nope, it's some serious fog out there! grey grey grey. we're getting so excited to meet our new friend, not sure if it's going to be this wkend or the next :)

Meet Melissa

I'm the creator of Julia's Bookbag and Julia's Book Boxes. Ask me about ordering the current book surprise box! Vintage, current, and unique book finds are my passion, along with treats, teas, and all things cozy.